This is the planned schedule of various topics and events in course LIS 384K.11, Database-Management Principles and Applications, in Spring Semester 2000. Changes may occur as we proceed through the semester; if so, you will, of course, be informed of them.
The topics listed below are those that are planned for discussion in the class meeting on the date noted; planned topics may vary depending on class progress and on discussions arising out of questions and comments from students. Your questions and comments are very much invited and encouraged.
Planned quizzes are indicated as part of the topics.
Reading assignments are what you should start reading soon after the class meeting on the date of the assignment and finish reading before the next class meeting. References to "Cassel and Eddy and Eddy" and "Rob and Coronel" are to the texts for the course by those authors, as detailed below:
Cassel, Paul; Palmer, Pamela. Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days. Indianapolis, IN: Sams; 1999. 785 p. ISBN:0-672-31292-1. [Note: For a variety of technical and logistic reasons, MS Access 97 will be provided in the GSLIS Information Technology Laboratory. I can assure you that the differences between Access 97 and Access 2000 are quite minor with respect to the topics covered in LIS 384K.11. If you have already acquired your own copy of MS Access 2000, you should use it for LIS 384K.11.]
Rob, Peter; Coronel, Carlos. Database Systems: Design, Implementation, and Management. 4th edition. Cambridge, MA: Course Technology; 1999. 800 p. ISBN:0-7600-1090-0.
Week 1, January 16
Topics
What is a database? Examples
of databases, both non-computer-based and computer-based.
Flat-File
Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to help you become familiar
with the problems of flat-file databases. You are to use the database function
in Microsoft Excel (or in your preferred spreadsheet) to set up a small
database for books. Choose three books that you own or have access to (you may
choose books from the UT-Austin Library Online
catalog if you need to), with the proviso that at least two of the books must
have two or more authors. In your spreadsheet, set up a database that will provide
storage of the following data for each book: title, author (i.e., each and every
author of a book in your set of books), publisher city, publisher state, publisher
name, publication date, and International Standard Book Number.
Think about the design decisions you have to make as you go through this exercise: e.g., widths of various columns, how to handle author names (e.g., in order to be able to sort the books by the last names of the authors), abbreviation (or not) of state names. Note the problems you encounter. Think about how the problems would be multiplied if, say, you were developing a flat-file database of articles from professional journals, where articles can sometimes have a dozen or more (even hundreds of) authors. A major advantage of relational databases is that they handle such multiple-entry (repeated values) problems very easily.
Access
2000 Assignment
Start working on the Cassel and Eddy text, as outlined in the Webpage entitled,
"Assignments for Studying Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft
Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer."
Week 2, January 23
Topics
The relational
database model. How do relational databases differ from flat files, hierarchical
databases, and network databases? A brief look at variable-length records (e.g.,
MARC records) and files, and at databases built up from such records and files.
Access 2000 Assignment
Continue working on the Cassel
and Eddy text, as outlined in Assignments for Studying
Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer.
Reading Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 1; be prepared
to discuss, in the Week 3 class meeting, the Review Questions on p. 51.
Week 3, January 30
Topics
Components
of relational databases (RDBs) and of relational database-management systems (RDBMSs.
Various kinds of keys.
Access 2000 Assignment
Continue working on the Cassel and Eddy text, as outlined in Assignments
for Studying Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 2; be prepared to discuss, in the Week
4 class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 91-93.
Week 4, February 6
Topics
Overview
of the relational algebra of relational databases.
Access
2000 Assignment
Continue working on the Cassel and Eddy text, as outlined
in Assignments for Studying Sams Teach Yourself
Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 3; be prepared to discuss, in the Week 5
class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 168-170; write out your answers to
Review Questions 1-7.
Week 5, February 13
Topics
Overview of SQL, "Structured Query Language."
Access 2000 Assignment
Continue working
on the Cassel and Eddy text, as outlined in Assignments
for Studying Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 3; be prepared to discuss, in the Week
6 class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 168-170; write out your answers to
Review Questions 8-20.
Week 6, February 20
Topics
Entity-relationship (E-R) analysis of information
systems.
Access 2000 Assignment
Finish
working on the Cassel and Eddy text, as outlined in Assignments
for Studying Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Access 2000 in 21 Days, by Paul Cassel and Pamela Palmer.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 4;be prepared to discuss, in the Week 7
class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 244-246; write out your answers to
Review Questions 7, 8, 15, and 16.
Week 7, February 27
Topics
More on E-R
analysis. Introduction to the concepts and the process of normalizing a database.
Reading Assignment
Rob and Coronel,
Chap. 5; be prepared to discuss, in the Week 9 class meeting, the Review Questions
on pp. 276.
Week 8, March 6
Topics
More on the concepts and the process of normalizing
a database. Review of the course to date. Quiz 1: based on Chapters 1-4 of Rob
and Coronel.
Week 8+, March 13
Spring
break. No class meeting. Enjoy the vacation.
Week 9, March 20
Topics
Review of
Quiz results. Finish discussing normalization. Introduction to database design.
Reading Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chaps. 6 and 7;
be prepared to discuss, in the Week 10 class meeting, the Review Questions on
p. 320 and on p. 351.
Database Application
If you have not yet decided on your database application, you need to start
thinking long and hard about it now.
Week 10, March 27
Topics
More on database
design.
Reading Assignment
Rob and
Coronel, Chap. 8; be prepared to discuss, in the Week 11 class meeting, the Review
Questions on pp. 405-406.
Database Application
You should have decided on your database application by this week.
Week 11, April 3
Topics
Transaction
management and concurrency control.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 9; be prepared to discuss, in the Week
12 class meeting, the Review Questions on p. 432.
Week 12, April 10
Topics
More on transaction management and concurrency control. Introduction to distributed
database-management systems. Quiz 2: based on Chapters 5-8 of Rob and Coronel.
Reading Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chap. 10; be prepared
to discuss, in the Week 13 class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 468.
Week 13, April 17
Topics
More on distributed
database-management systems. Client-Server Systems.
Reading
Assignment
Rob and Coronel, Chaps. 12 and 14; be prepared to discuss,
in the Week 14 class meeting, the Review Questions on pp. 565 and 676.
Week 14, April 24
Topics
Client-server systems. Databases and the Internet.
Week 15, May 1
Review of the course to date. Quiz 3: based on Chapters 9, 10, 12, and 14 of Rob and Coronel.
Database
Application
Your database application is to be handed in at this class
meeting.
Go to Course
Description: Database-Management Principles and Applications
Go to Assignments
for Studying the Cassel and Palmer Text
Go to Guide
to Course Materials for LIS 384K.11
Go to Wyllys Webpage
Last revised 2004 Feb 23